Pretty nice opening promo, I expect Edge to somehow get punished after that. Nice announcements, battle royal should be pretty good. Now onto the first match of the night, a pretty nice fatal four way to kick off the show. Nice action near the end, should be a pretty good match with Mysterio and Booker next week. Nice little promo with Booker and Matthews after the match, liked Booker's reaction as he is foucsed on winning. Should provide for a very good match. CM PUNK!!!1! I can't wait for him to debut. Decent little tag match, with the Ukliq going over. A push maybe? Nice Orton promo, an Orton/Christian feud should be great, can't wait for their possible match. Pretty good cruiserweight match, nothing really else to say. Good promos with JBL and London & Kendrick. Nice tag match with the new champions going over. Lashley/Kennedy feud should be interesting, I'm having a feud with them in my btb as well :P. Decent Sylvan promo. Great battle royal with Benoit coming out victorious. A Benoit/Edge feud could be great if booked right. I'll owe your Raw review with your next show. Nice news by the way. Good Smackdown!, keep up the good work.

"I wrestled that match with Undertaker at WrestleMania with the biggest f*cking chip on my shoulder because I knew it was going to be better than Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H and The Rock vs. John Cena."

Raw is set to invade Portland, Oregon tonight as the Raw superstars are well on their way towards Backlash. One match has already been signed for Backlash and that would be the WrestleMania Rematch. Both Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam stole the show at WrestleMania during the WWE Championship match but at Backlash, the match promises to be even better! However tonight, both find themselves in a tag match. RVD will be teaming with John Cena to take on Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho. Last week Jericho and the Spirit Squad did defeat Cena but Jericho didn't gain the pin, will Jericho's streak of losses continue against Cena?

Stone Cold Steve Austin will remain on Raw despite the wishes of the Chairman of the Board, Mr. McMahon. Last week, Mr. McMahon booked Austin in a match with his son Shane. Little did he know that Austin would be able to overcome Shane and keep his job ruining the plans that the CEO had set out for the matchup. Now this week, Mr. McMahon promises that something will be done to settle this issue between all of these men. What does Mr. McMahon have in store for Austin and Shawn Michaels? Tune into Raw to see what will go down.

Chris Masters had a golden chance last week but once more it was ruined, once again by Carlito. Carlito ran out during Masters's non-title match against the Intercontinental Champion, Shelton Benjamin. Masters was close to defeating Benjamin but Carlito came out and delivered the Back Cracker ruining the chances and the match for Masters. Masters certainly didn't seem in the best of moods after the match and something certainly will happen, what will take place?

No one has ever seen such a twisted and strange side of Kane ever since he was unmasked almost three years ago. What happened last week was perhaps the most shocking turn of events ever seen. Kane and Big Show lost their rematch with the titles on the line but Kane suddenly snapped and then chokeslammed Big Show. But he wasn't done! He grabbed a chair and beat down The Big Show bringing him down to the mat and then placing the chair on Big Show's throat. Kane then responded by leaping off and injuring the neck of Big Show. Now the Big Show will be out for months and suddenly, Kane has revealed the old side of himself once again.

And finally, Mickie James showed the world last week why she was the new Women's Champion. James dominated and destroyed Torrie Wilson in the ring sending a message to Trish Stratus. Trish and Ashley came out though and beatdown Mickie afterwards. Tonight however we'll be seeing a number one contender's match where the winner takes on Mickie at Backlash for the Women's Championship. Trish will be taking on Victoria and with the odds stacked against Trish, will she be able to prevail and find a chance to regain her title back?

Surprised Booker was made to look as strong as he was in the early going, with Benoit and Mysterios double team efforts being thwarted. Nice piece of action between Mysterio and Booker with Benoit out of the equation for a moment, before we get a some Benoit - Mysterio, albeit not for long, with all three men going to the outside. Expected a bit of action on the outside with all three out there, but Mysterio was quick to get back in.
Match slows a little with more Mysterio and Booker, before Benoit turns up the heat with a ferocious German, and goes for a crossface, not getting it that early on. Was a little eh? When Benoit just managed to kick out of a schoolboy, after it took the referee a while just to get into position for the count. Bit of tandem work from Booker and Mysterio, before they go at it again. Ahh, nice to see the tower of doom making an appearance at WM. Excellent spot to include for a big crowd pop early on in the show.
Loved Mysterio running up the turnbuckle to connect a Hurricanrana, to stop the Benoit head butt, although it was a little hard to imagine Booker being able to catch Benoit and deliver a Powerbomb from that. Still, another awesome triple threat spot, creative and innovative. Now, it’s Booker turn to be dominant, having Mysterio on the brink with a Scissors Kick, but Benoit saves the match for now. Headbutt for Benoit could be enough … but Mysterio now saves the title.
Match is really heating up now, with Benoit stopping a 619 attempt, and locking in a Sharpshooter on The Book, but it isn’t enough, thanks to Mysterio again. Once again, Benoit stops Mysterio from delivering a signature move, this time to WCP, meaning he can lock in the Cross face on Booker!!! Excellent finish, with Mysterio coming from the shadows to hit the West Coast Pop on Benoit, whilst he had the Cross face locked in, enough to get a three count.Match Rating: ***¾ - Great rating for an opener, perfect in fact. Certainly would be remembered as one of the top 3 openers in WM history imo, behind Hart vs. Hart, and possibly another that I’ve overlooked. Surprised it was Benoit that lost the fall, which has me thinking about an extended Benoit - Mysterio feud now, with Benoit possibly turning heel??

Meh pre match interview from Trish, but it still sets the scene for the match. Good spot for this match too, coming right after a hot opener. Acceptable action early on, with both getting in plenty of offence. First main talking point would be the attempted Stratusfaction, countered by James. DDT only gets a two for Mickie, which is surprising, as that has generally been the finishing move of Mickies. Trish finally executes the Stratusfaction, but with both women down, Trish is unable to follow up on the move right away, which allows James to kick out at two. Finish was a little similar to WM this year (working from memory anyway), which was a tad disappointing, as something more original would’ve been nice.Match Rating: ** - Didn’t really hold my interest. Would’ve scraped **½, but the finish has been done before. Nice to see a new champion, and where you go from here with the womens division.

Nice backstage segment with Eugene, getting a few lower card faces on the show, along with The Rock.

Match #3
Inter-Promotional MITB Ladder Match

Crazy opening moments, as you’d expect, with an attempted Masterlock, Hardy with a cross body, and Benjamins plancha. Ladder appears early, as it has in previous MITB matches, so no complaints there. Benjamin gets stuck under the ladder for a spell, whilst Hardy and JBL fight it out, with Layfield eating a Side Effect off the damn thing!!!! Nice Stinger Splash from Benjamin, using the Ladder as a weapon.
Kennedy left hanging from the ladder being displaced. Unreal Hurricanrana, something only Benjamin could do, with Kennedy taking a major piece of punishment on that occasion. Not sure if JBL would have the agility to fall from a ladder and land on the ropes, but I’m probably wrong. Hardy wastes his opportunity of winning the contract, hitting a Leg Drop off the ladder onto CCC. GREEN BAY PLUNGE!!!! Holy Shit moment right there, with Kennedy hitting the awesome move off the ladder onto Benjamin, gaining some revenge for the Hurricanrana.
SICK DDT, with CCC taking Masters off the ladder, landing onto another one on the ground. That should be the end of Masters night here. More craziness from Benjamin with a double spear. Finally, it comes down to just Benjamin from Raw, and JBL from Smackdown, with a back body drop enough to see off Shelton, and end the match for JBL’s victory.

Match Rating: ***½ - Not as good as what I expected. The high risk spots were truly outstanding, although a the DDT from the ladder to a ladder on the mat seemed a little too much - just the DDT off the ladder would’ve been perfect. Was a little hard to follow at points too, and the weak finish was a disappointment, but in general, was strong enough to rate highly.

Match #4
World Tag Team Championships
Tables Match
3MW (c’s) vs. Kane and The Big Show

Definite weak point of the card is this one. Table Match ruling should make it watchable at least though. Wish it had’ve just been a single table match, rather than both men having to go through. I guess with both having to be eliminated, it makes for a slightly more entertaining contest. The chairs make an appearance too, but I doubt we’ll be seeing any ladders in this one. Rosey, thanks to Kane is first to go through, leaving Kane and Show in prime position. Kane is sent through the wood, via a running splash, and this one goes down to the wire. Rosey saves the match, before eating a Chokeslam. Jamal then wins the match, hitting a splash through the table, giving 3MW a victory.Match Rating: ** - Tried your best with this. Would’ve liked a bit of variety with the table spots, as both 3MW eliminations were through variations of a splash.

Obligitory WM appearance from a band, and we move onto what could be another potentially great match.

Fast paced opening, with both men going right for it, no need for any fooling around, which makes me think it wont be a very long contest. Few near falls for both men early on too, which is a strong indicator of the type of match this will be. Kash misses a moonsault, and then counters a Tiger Driver, getting another near fall, with yet another following hot on the heels, from a sunset flip. Now, the tables are turned and Noble is able to counter the Dead Level of Kash, before hitting a suplex of his own to KK. And, in continuing with the reversal of fortunes, it’s now Noble getting cradles, coming close to victory.
Kash finally hit’s the Dead Level, but Noble saves the match by putting his feet on the ropes. Kash, as you’d expect, is furious, so much so, that he goes for the move again, but finds himself going to the well once too often, and Noble is able to counter into a roll through for a three count. SHOULDER UP FROM THE TIGER DRIVER??? I certainly wasn’t expecting that. DDT from Kash, and looks to finish Noble off with a Frog Splash, but once again, he eats the canvas!!! Finish was confusing, and a bit of a let down, with the cradle reversal seemingly there for ages, before the count is even made, making Kash look weak.Match Rating: *** - Was going to be at least 3 ¼, but the finish was a real let down, after all the great action that came before it. Excellent mid card match to include on the PPV, with a terrific wrestling contest, full of plenty of edge of the seat moments to get the fans involved.

This is one of the matches I’ve really been excited for, and I hope it lives up to the expectations. Very quick offence from BK, hitting the moonsault for a sharp two count. Excellent heel tactics from MNM, using the tag ropes whilst the referee is busy. London fires in, all guns blazing, and at the rate this match has started, I have a bad feeling it’ll be a very rushed 2/3 falls match up.
Mercury saves the fall, before the match slows a little, but not for long, with London getting Kendrick back in the ring. Double Plancha sounds hott, and melina saves her boys, distracting the referee from making a ten count. That proves to be the turning point of fall #1, as MNM take advantage of the distraction, saving Melina from PL and BK, before the super snapshot gets them the lead.
Nearly ends in double quick time, but London prevents a second Snapshot, saving the match. London and Kendrick certainly appear to be the aggressors in the second fall, and they should be too, with needing this second fall desperately. Nitro barely kicks out, twice, before Melinas involvement once again turns the match on its head, allowing MNM to take charge. Despite that, London and Kendrick manage to keep themselves strong, and MNM’s cockiness eventually backfires, with Nitro prancing around before the superplex, allowing London to nail the Sunset flip for the equalizer!!! Awesome move.
It all comes down to the final fall now, and I fully expect the challengers to take this now, after everything they have been through in recent months. Now, it’s all MNM, dominating the challengers. Why would MNM be bothered about getting disqualified, wouldn’t they just keep the belts anyway?? Kendrick finally gets the hot tag, and this thing looks on the verge of ending. Near falls, before both men hit their signature finishers, allowing NEW CHAMPIONS!!!Match Rating: ***¼ - Despite the shortness of the match, especially for a 2/3 Falls match, it was highly entertaining, and had me there, right through it. Would’ve been better to maybe have this as a single fall match though for 13 minutes, and save 2/3 for Judgement Day, when they could’ve went longer. Great to see new champions crowned, and I’m sure Kendrick and London will be awesome champions.Jericho interview was by far the strongest backstage segment of the night so far, and sets us up nicely for what should be a decent contest.

Match #7
Chris Jericho vs. John Cena

Jericho has the best of it early on, with Cena struggling. Early Walls of Jericho is quickly stopped with Cena reaching the ropes. Despite a short flurry from Cena, Jericho remains in control, which perhaps is a sign of putting over Jerichos will to beat Cena on a big stage. Moonsault to the outside is amazing, and Y2J is definitely pulling out all the stops here. It’s really starting to look bad here for Cena, with Jericho absolutely dominant thus far. Pumphandle Slam?? New one for Cena, but certainly one I wouldn’t rule him out of using.
Definite sense of desperation from Jericho, bringing out the triple power bomb, but only musters a two count. Looks like comeback time now for Cena, hitting the running shoulder, following up with the Throwback, then the 5 Knuckle Shuffle, setting him up for the FU … but Jericho fights it out, into a cradle, for a near fall again.
The Lionsault still cant win it for Jericho, and I’m starting to sense now this wont be his night to finally beat Cena. Cena makes the ropes to the Walls of Jericho, which can only further infuriate Y2J, who cant find a way to beat Superman!!! Cena, despite another comeback, still cant deliver the FU, and Jericho is back in charge again. As it appeared to be, Cena, despite the battering he took, comes out victorious, scoring with an awesome FU, with Jericho having no way of kicking out.Match Rating: ***¾ - Was pretty entertaining, and told a great story, with Jerichos determination to finally beat Cena, but Cenas amazing will to win. I don’t see how much longer this one can go on for, but I wouldn’t rule out a gimmick match down the road at Backlash to end it.

Match #8
Batista vs. The Undertaker

It’ll be interesting to see if you can make this one interesting, given the less than stellar build up, and the overwhelming likelihood that Taker will be victorious. Nice job in keeping Batista look like an equal to Undertaker, with the strength contests coming out even steven. Despite that, the early going is all a little wishy washy, with the usual big man stuff doing it’s bit. Batista appears to be dominant early on, which is a good sign. Burst of energy from Taker livens up the match, but a nice counter to the Old School puts Batista back in control. Bearhug slows it down, but at least it had a point to be there, before Taker revives again, to score second time lucky with Old School.
Gets turned up a notch in terms of excitement with the attempted Chokeslam, but Batista thwarts it, and dominated The Deadman, using the steel post to his advantage, which doesn’t allow him to get a proper hold on the match, as Taker rebounds, and we have ourselves a real fist fight, rounding out with a Spear from Batista, scoring a close two count.
Always love the DDT of The Undertakers. Exquisite. Could Taker get Batista up for the last Ride?? Not sure, but it wont matter, as Batista fought his way out. Nice spot with Taker sitting up whilst The Animal did his rope shaking bit. Taker now fires up, for the big baby face moment, utilising the big boot, Chokeslam combo, scoring a close two count. Despite that, Batista manages to come back to take charge once more, but once again, would the Batista Bomb be doable to Taker??
Even with that, I still didn’t expect Taker to lose, but I was pleased he was forced to grab the ropes. Kept the believability going. Batista attempts to go for a second, but Taker counters, and nails the Tombstone, and as they say, it’s all she wrote. Taker keeps his streak alive, as he should do.Match Rating:***¼ - Good rating for a match between two big men. Wasn’t sure about the Batista Bomb or Last Ride, but you kept it real apart from those lapses. Felt a little flat for a long period, but had enough moments to score pretty well.

Wrestle Mania in Florida next year, cool.

Been waiting for this one … has the potential to be a classic WM showdown.

Match #9
Inter-Promotional Match
Randy Orton vs. The Rock

Would’ve been better for a longer staredown to allow the fans more time to soak up the atmosphere. Early going favours The Rock, until Orton uses a sneaky trip to turn the tide, but not for long, with Rock back in control for the first cover of the match. Good use of ring psychology, going for the neck, but it sure is boring. Surprised to see the sick DDT make an appearance this early on, but it makes sense for Rock just to kick out, as it is still early. That spot might’ve added more excitement later in the match.
Early pace slows WAY down with some basics, eating up time, back and forth, interesting enough to keep the attention, and I’m glad you didn’t go the route of wearing down the leg, as there is much more you can do to keep this one interesting than that. Orton misses a corner splash, which allows Rock to regain control, and eventually nail his own DDT for a near fall. Legend Killer misses the cross body, and twice now the top rope moves havent played out for Randy.
Referee bump could add an element of excitement now, with Orton using any tactic in the book he possibly can. Low blow, and the chair could end it, but fortunately for The Rock he’s too fatigued to stay on his feet and take it!!! Nice turnaround on Orton, with the chair hitting him instead, lol. The Rock recovers, and now delivers the crowd pleasing Elbow … but Orton kicks out, and keeps this match alive. Now, Rock shows no sign of relenting, applying the Sharpshooter!!! After a long period of struggle, we see the tenacity of Orton shine through, enabling him to reach out for the ropes. Ropes quickly come to the aide of Randall one more time, as the spine buster nearly gets it for the Peoples Champion. Surprised Randy needed the ropes to save himself from the spine buster though.
And surprised again, as Orton appears to be flabbergasted that Rock would kick out of a clothesline. Seemed a little weird. Close call with the sick Orton neck breaker, but Rock kicks out once more. Really free flowing match up thus far, despite a few glitches. It’s been going well though. Awesome closing few moments to finish off a pretty decent match up, with Ortons athleticism prevailing. I could easily see Orton twisting in mid air from the Rock Bottom to hit the RKO, as I’m sure he has done something similar in the past, possibly from a Chokeslam?? Great finish, which came nice and sudden, instead of being clear to see.Match Rating: ***¾ - A few minor glitches stopped me from dishing out ****+ for this one. A few moves that could’ve been switched up elsewhere in the match, among other things which I’ve commented on. The match itself was well balanced with both men going right to the wire on a number of occasions. Definitely one to remember.

Thankfully the promos arent under much scrutiny tonight, as they’ve been weak. It’s mainly about matches on PPV.

Match #10
Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H

Quick to set the tone of this one, with the numbers game being HBK’s main enemy. Triple H jumping from behind was a good way to get right into the action, instead of dallying around. Early on methodical beating from Triple H, but a surprising Lou Thesz press turns the tide for Michaels. Never seen him do it before though - possible pre-cursor that Austin might be on his way???
Things go against HBK once more, as Shane pushes him off. Not sure how to take the McMahons barred from ringside bit, as you even put it that “Vince wont take it because he is the owner, but the referee is throwing him out anyway” or something along those lines. Shouldn’t Vince realistically just fire the ref on the spot, and ref the match himself then?? Even at that, I felt it was a little early to banish the McMahons.
Michaels quickly recovers from work on the leg, to dropkick HHH, and Michaels is once again in charge. As he should, the bigger, stronger Triple H dominates the fist fight, and again attempts to methodically beat down the Showstopper, but HBK has too much heart to go down for a sustained period. Having said that, despite his comebacks from time to time, Triple H is definitely large and in charge in this one, with the majority of offence going to him. Plenty of Ric Flair tributes in this one, with the use of the knee earlier, along with Shawns turnbuckle stunt, which both men actually do fairly regularly, and now the Figure Four, which The Game has used previously. Michaels turns the tide, only for Triple H to quickly reach the ropes, and break the submission. Never seen anyone go down, never mind stay down for a two count from a Michaels inverted atomic drop, so that was a little weird to read.
Elbow could do it, but HBK isn’t done, and wants to play a tune!!! Probably a little too early for the Sweet Chin Music, so I’m expecting it to be blocked … ducked is close enough, and the high knee is enough for a two count. Frustration probably gets the best of Triple H here, throwing Michaels to the outside, not being able to do the job inside the ring. Referee doesn’t allow HHH to use the hammer, but I’m guessing we’ll be seeing more of it later.
Michaels appears to be on the brink of defeat here, with Triple H dominating, coming close with a spine buster, and now a Pedigree … BUT HERE COMES AUSTIN!!! Must’ve missed the part where the referee got knocked out, as we have Stone Cold and Triple H brawling toe to toe in the ring!!! Nope, the referee is still in this one, so I’m guessing it’s now a No DQ contest?? Stunner, followed by Sweet Chin Music ends this, but why did the referee allow the blatant interference??Match Rating: ***½ - Nothing majorly wrong with this match, but the finish felt rushed, and a little under whelming. Might’ve been more emphatic, had the McMahons re-appeared, and then we got Austins return, where he and HBK cleared house, before Michaels got the win. Match was good, solid stuff, but I think you missed a golden opportunity to have a thrilling finish.

Not sure what the deal was with the Edge - Angle promo, but it might be a decent little set up for a nice little feud soon, should one get shifted to the opposite brand.

This one should be good. Edge starts out quick, but Christian uses that momentum to his own advantage, and gets the upper hand, but it’s Edge that attempts the first pin with a back body drop. Now, it looks like Edges rage will propel him into the dominant position in this match. A little bit too hectic at the moment, as neither man can gain any type of advantage, which is sort of making it hard to follow. From the suplex counter into a DDT, it looks like Christian might just take the reigns of this match, as he begins to snuff out the offence of the champion. Seen too many DDT’s on this show, and two now in this one match, albeit a pretty sweet one.
Extremely competitive match up, with the advantage switching back and forth at an incredible rate, as neither man appears to be able to gain a substantial amount of offence. Third DDT of this match, this time a reverse DDT, for another two count. Christian is edging this one right now, coming much closer to victory than Edge at this point. Despite the back and forth nature of this match, the moves have been as basic as a bread and butter sandwich. DDT’s and suplexes only is seems.
First big mistake of the match, as Edge misses his cross body to the outside, driving into the barricade instead!!! That picked up my interest, which was beginning to wane for a little bit. Another strange time to use the ropes to save the match, which is a running theme throughout this show. Gutbuster from Christian keeps him on top, and his dominance really isn’t threatened, as he pushes on, and nails his 4th DDT in this match, this time inverted, for another near fall. It’s quite strange seeing the baby face challenger dominate the match like this, and the heel champion begin to make a fight back, getting a two count from the sit out face buster, which is a move I really like. Despite his best attempts though, Edge cannot keep the challenger on his back for any amount of time!!! Captain Charisma continues to fight back, but the Unprettier is blocked by the RRS, and Christian needs to kick out of a cradle. REALLY, REALLY surprised to see Christian kicking out of the DDT - Spear combo, and recovers fairly quickly, although the Edge-O-Matic sends him back down. SHOCKING finish. Absolutely shocking. Edge looks like a true superstar, and worthy of the main event, with a clean title defence at the biggest show of the year via submission, but it really hurts Christian. Nice to see you switch things up though, instead of going with the formula Edge cheats to win. Hard to see where Christian goes from here though, with this defeat.Match Rating: **** - Might be a little generous with that, with very little dominance from the champion at any point until the closing paragraphs, and the challenger being able to control the majority of the match, but come up WAY too short at the end. But apart from that, it was a solid wrestling match, with a very unexpected finish, which has probably swayed my decision in the end. Good job.

Nice feeling out in the opening moments, with the referee going through the motions of checking both men for weapons etc. Surprised to see the fists fly that early on, but at least you’re going with a different approach to this main event. Good few moments, with RVD equal to Angle from the headlocks, and counters etc. Speed helps Van Dam here, with the sunset flip, two quick dropkicks, and the standing moonsault, with no reply from Angle.
Spoke too soon, as Kurt slows down Van Dam, hitting the German. Doesn’t have much effect on Van Dam though, who, as you rightly point out, has been on fire early on. BIG TIME move from Angle to get a proper handle on the match, delivering a scintillating top rope belly to belly to take down his challenger, and score a nervous near fall for the RVD fans. Little shocked to see such a big risk move this early, bt liking it. That really should’ve been a point where Angle took control for a long period, but for some reason, RVD came back into it rather quickly, which kills the legitimacy of the top rope belly to belly. Second match in a row where the challenger has been far too dominant, as RVD is owning Angle right now, despite the fact he should really be on the end of a beating right now IMO. DDT once again, and once again, it’s a two count. Even with a sick sounding German Suplex, Angle is unable to gain control in this match, as RVD literally is back up fighting back right away.
It’s back to being all RVD, with another near fall, before Angle musters something out of the drawer, hitting a Northern Lights for a close two count. Van Daminator into the title belt was a nice spot, but really means nothing, as RVD wasn’t in desperate need of a big comeback, and it’s hard to see how RVD is exhausted, as he hasn’t been too troubled. The Champion now resorts to desperation moves to stay in the match. Not sure what happened, as you had Angle begin to wear down the legs for a good reason, before suddenly just having Angle beat Van Dam up instead. Just as it looks like Angle is about to take control, and get the fans ready for a big RVD comeback, coming close with the moonsault, we get a premature Van Dam fight back yet again, blocking the Angle Slam, and taking down the champion.
Doesn’t appear we’ll be getting the big Angle dominant period, as the match has been going a while now, and appears to be hitting the final hurdle. German Suplex series from Angle, followed by the Angle Slam, but RVD is somehow capable to blocking the Ankle lock. Van Terminator Coast to Coast is a terrific spot, as Van Dam once again is back on top, but somehow is fatigued, and we end up with both men reaching their feet at the same time.
Ankle Lock is applied, but RVD fights it, and fights it, and finally breaks it, but doesn’t reach the ropes, instead gets a cradle. Nice athleticism shown by Van Dam, before he knocks down the champion, and follows up with Rolling Thunder, and finally finishes off Angle with the 5 Star!!! New Champion!!!Match Rating:**** - It might seem like I hated this match from the comments, I actually found it to be excellent, but I just didn’t like the way you went with the story of the match. Started off terrifically, with RVD equal to Angle in every way, but you missed a golden opportunity for Angle to take control when he hit the Belly to Belly off the top. That should’ve been the cue for a long beat down of RVD, working on the leg - which you tried twice, then just decided not to after two sentences - before a fight back from Van Dam, with an even steven fight, before moving onto the finish. Having RVD dominate arguably cements him as a main eventer, equal to Angle, but at no point, bar when the Ankle Lock was applied, could I picture a period where the fans would be getting firmly behind the underdog, RVD. The match quality was tremendous, well worthy of more than **** IMO, but just from the way the match went in the ebb and flow, I’m not going any higher than the ****.

Overall Show Thoughts:

Most realistic show I’ve ever read. The fact that only two matches reached **** might make it seem slightly disappointing for Wrestle Mania, but in actual fact, probably makes it better than shows with **** matches being commonplace. How many **** matches do you generally get on PPV?? One or two in most cases, and given the WWE talent these days, two **** matches on the biggest show of the year, supported by matches ranging from ***¼ - ***¾ makes it feel much more realistic.

The grammar at times was a little disappointing, with some things being mentioned twice in one sentence, like “The fans are getting behind Wrestler X now, with his comeback getting the fans right back into the match” That wasn’t a sentence that was used, but there were quite a few like that. You’re grammar has always been fairly immaculate beforehand, which is probably why I’ve brought it up here.

Show was booked tremendously. On very few occasions did I feel like the wrong person won, which is probably the best thing you can do - making the right booking decisions. Awesome effort, on a great show.

Negatives:

Use of the word ‘then’. Seemed to appear in every sentence. Taker then hit’s a DDT. The Deadman then gets back up, and pounds Batista, then whips him off the ropes, to hit him with a clothesline. He then covers. Things like that. It was a problem I’ve had previously, and just takes time to get out of the system.

Last two matches felt very similar. Face challenger dominating the heel champion in back to back matches wasn’t a good way to end out the show. The matches were technically sound, and got the biggest grades of the night, but it’s not the way to get a crowd into the match.

Finish of the HHH-HBK match was flat. Austins return should;ve been to save Michaels from a 3 on 1 beat down, not a 1 on 1 attack.

Tag team match was really short. In a way it’s good, because you didn’t go overboard with timings, but if you couldn’t give the match 20 minutes, it should’ve been just one fall.

Positives:

Planning. Just from reading this show, you can tell it wasn’t booked at the last minute. The preparation was obvious, and the overall outcome was splendid.

Right people went over. Don’t need to elaborate on that.

Match order was impeccable too. We had a few conversations about the order of the show, and I cant really fault the way you went in the end. I think it was FD who made a valid point about the CW and Tag matches being back to back, which maybe could’ve been switched with Taker vs. Batista, but this was a pretty flawless match order.

Wrestle Mania vibe. Didn’t feel like a run of the mill show. This was clearly a WM worthy PPV.

Despite the lack of huge star ratings, I got plenty of satisfaction in reading this event, and would go as far to say it’s the very best Wrestle Mania I’ve read on these forums to date. Best of luck in making it to Wrestle Mania 23!!!

Ok, I'm working on Raw right now and hopefully hope to have it up later today. I'm also been working on F-D's review and that's been taking up some time to so bare with me if I owe you a review, I hope to return it later on.

Across the Nation hits and the Raw video package plays, we end out by heading to the stage hearing the pyro blast off and the night is under way

Jim Ross: Hello everybody and welcome to Monday Night Raw again and I’m ready for a huge night we have set ahead for us!

Jerry Lawler: So many matches and so many questions to be answered, it’s certainly going to be an interesting night on Raw!

Joey Styles: A huge tag team match tonight with the WWE Champion, Rob Van Dam and John Cena teaming together tonight

Jim Ross: And their opponents are RVD’s opponent at Backlash in Kurt Angle and John Cena’s long time rival, Chris Jericho.

Jerry Lawler: Wow, a huge match there plus we’ve got some more matches to be added to the Backlash card here tonight.

Joey Styles: I can’t wait guys, this is possibly going to be one of if not the best shows of the year with all we have on it!

No Chance hits and Mr. McMahon comes out onto the stage, he is by himself tonight and not with Shane McMahon which is a surprise. Mr. McMahon comes down the stage doing his powerwalk and then climbs up the steps. He gets into the ring and looks around before grabbing a mic and beginning to speak to loud boos from the crowd

Mr. McMahon: Cut the music.

Crowd Boos

Mr. McMahon: Now what happened last week won’t happen again. We saw my son Shane lose to Stone Cold Steve Austin and now Stone Cold is back. Well, I’ve got something to say to that right now and you better all listen. First off, Stone Cold’s little friend, Shawn Michaels is going to be punished here tonight.

Crowd Boos

Mr. McMahon: We’re going to have a WrestleMania rematch, Shawn Michaels taking on Triple H and tonight, Stone Cold has been banned from ringside. That’s only one of the announcements I have tonight and you all are going to love this next one. Tonight, myself and my son Shane will be at ringside in Triple H’s corner!

Crowd Boos

Mr. McMahon: That is just a start of the punishment that Stone Cold and Shawn Michaels are going to be facing now on Raw. We’ve had enough of what has been happening, my son Shane was beaten down last week and that’s not going to happen again, ever again as long as I am running not only this show but this business!

Crowd Boos

Mr. McMahon: And whether you like it or not, there is not a damn thing any one of you can do about it to stop me or change my mind. We’re out here to rid Raw of the trash in Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin and we’ll do that. It’s going to start tonight because Triple H will once again defeat the Heart Break Kid, Shawn Michaels!

Crowd Boos

Mr. McMahon: And well, it do…

Glass Shatters hits and Stone Cold Steve Austin comes down driving his truck! Austin drives his truck down the ramp and right by the ring before climbing off the truck and jumping into the ring with McMahon. Austin gets a mic handed to him, then grabs a few beers and chugs them down before starting to speak.

Stone Cold Steve Austin: How’s it going Vince?

WHAT!

Stone Cold Steve Austin: You’re trying to hand out some punishment for Shawn and myself now, is that what you said earlier?

WHAT!

Stone Cold Steve Austin: Is that right you sumbitch?

WHAT!

Mr. McMahon: SHADDUP!!!!

Crowd Boos

Mr. McMahon: That’s right Stone Cold, that’s right and I’m going to do what I said, I will make sure that y…

Stone Cold Steve Austin: That’s funny Vince, because well I was drinking me a beer the other night and was, well thinking of you. Thinking of the many ass whoopin’s you’ve receieved from Stone Cold the past few years.

WHAT!

Mr. McMahon: Wa…

WHAT!

Stone Cold Steve Austin: Hey, throw me another beer over here! Wait, Vince were you saying something then? I seemed to not be listening?

WHAT!

Stone Cold Steve Austin: And with the Texas Rattlesnake back on Raw, hell is going to break loose and t…

Suddenly out of nowhere Shane McMahon blasts Stone Cold Steve Austin from behind with a chair, it makes sense now to why Shane wasn’t out earlier. Vince is smiling now and then tells Shane to head over to the corner. Shane then climbs onto the top rope and Austin is leaning in the corner. Vince is on the outside holding the chair through the ropes on Austin. Shane sets himself up and leaps across the corners and delivers the Coast to Coast! The fans are booing the hell out of the McMahon’s right now and Austin is down, something he is normally not use to being. The McMahon’s make their way to the back as Austin is a bloody mess in the ring with the fans continuing to boo the McMahon’s.

Match Overview: Good women’s match as Victoria and Trish always bring out the best in one another and show why they are former Women’s Champions. Ashley is in this match to round it out with another wrestler. Towards the end of the match, Victoria grabs Ashley and goes for the Widow’s Peak but Ashley slides off. Trish then catches Victoria with the Tilt-A-Whirl Headscissors sending Victoria down back to the mat. Victoria then runs right into Trish’s arms. Trish then goes for the Stratusfaction and she nails it but Mickie James comes down. Mickie James jumps onto the apron and pushes Ashley and Mickie gets kicked by Ashley sending her down to the mat on the outside. However Ashley loses her balance and falls on top of Victoria’s feet as Trish is covering and Trish doesn’t know. Both Ashley and Trish are covering Mickie! One…Two…Three!!!

Winners and #1 Contenders: Trish Stratus and Ashley Massaro

Jim Ross: What just happened there? We have two number one contenders as a result of what just happened between these two.

Jerry Lawler: That’s a first time right there, I’m just wondering who will be facing Mickie for the title come Backlash?

Joey Styles: Wait, I’m getting this through my headphones and it’s been made official for Backlash a Handicap Match for the Women’s title.

Jim Ross: A Handicap Match, wow! Mickie has to defend against not only Trish but Trish’s good friend, Ashley Massaro.

Jerry Lawler: It’s going to be interesting to see if Mickie can defeat her challengers and walk back home with the title.

We cut backstage to see Trish Stratus and Ashley Massaro standing and talking

Ashley Massaro: Look Trish, I’m so sorry! I didn’t want to get involved but I totally didn’t mean to get the pin with you.

Trish Stratus: Calm down Ashley! I understand! Now I didn’t see Mickie out there but it does sound like something she would do.

Ashley Massaro: Ok, just wanted to let you know because I didn’t want you to get angry at me for being thrown into this match.

Trish Stratus: Hey, it’s no problem. Now we’ve got even better of a chance for one of us to take home the title.

Ashley Massaro: Mickie thinks she was going to cost you the match but she got herself even deeper now, we’ll certainly take the title.

Trish Stratus: Of course we will, and hey, I’ve got to get going right now but I’ll see you on later, just be ready for Backlash

Ashley Massaro: No problem Trish, just wanted to make sure you knew that I didn’t mean to try to get into the match.

Trish Stratus: It’s ok; I’ll see you later.

Ashley Massaro: Ok.

Match #2
Jamal vs. Eugene

Match Overview: In a matchup made from last week whenever 3MW and The Freaks met backstage, Eugene takes on Jamal. Jamal of course dominates Eugene from the start showing his power and strength but Eugene mounts a comeback. Eugene starts to Hulk Up after Jamal starts slamming Eugene’s head off the turnbuckles repeatedly. Eugene yells “YOU!” and Rosey seems concerned on the outside looking to interfere. However Goldust and Snitsky stop him from going into the ring and costing Eugene the match. Eugene goes for a Rock Bottom on Jamal but he can’t lift the huge superstar up. Jamal goes for a Samoan Drop but Eugene slides off the shoulders and Goldust distracts the referee. Snitsky comes in to help Eugene and Big Boots Jamal! Eugene then jumps onto Jamal and makes the cover, One…Two…Three!!!

Winner: Eugene

Jim Ross: Oh my, Eugene defeated Jamal tonight and it came with some help from his good friends in Gene Snitsky and Goldust.

Jerry Lawler: Jamal fell short tonight and well, you have to wonder where 3 Minute Warning is going to end up going from here.

Joey Styles: Eugene pinned one half of the champions so shouldn’t he have a chance at becoming the champions now?

Jim Ross: Dominant win tonight for the Freaks and as Joey said, this could go a long way in determining the number one contenders.

Jerry Lawler: It certainly could JR and congrats to Eugene but they might have gotten 3MW on their off night tonight.

Joey Styles: Well either way, Eugene is victorious and well, we still have a huge night to come later on tonight, I can’t wait!

---Commercial---

We cut backstage to see Matt Striker sitting at a desk with Test standing up beside him, he has written on a chalkboard, Matt Striker. Your Teacher!

Matt Striker: Hello my name is Matt Striker and I am your teacher!

Crowd Boos

Matt Striker: Later tonight, you will all get to see your teacher and your Test in action but right now we are here to talk about something. We are here to talk about a topic that many people seem to overpass all the time, that topic is listening to your teacher.

Crowd Boos

Matt Striker: In other words, listen to what I have to say. I’ve told you all that I’m not here to mess around but yet no one listens. That’s why I brought Test in and yet some people continue to not listen to their teachers, so they fail. They fail miserably and never stand a chance at defeating their teacher in a match at all

Crowd Boos

Matt Striker: Val Venis learned that lesson last week but now he wants another match, well he simply doesn’t listen to his teacher. So tonight, he wants a tag match against us? We’ll be glad to let you fail again Val, like you always have.

Crowd Boos

Matt Striker: Let this soak into your heads students, this is Matt Striker. I’m your teacher and whether you like it or not, you will deal with it. You can’t do anything to stop me from being your teacher and nothing you can do from failing the Test. And tonight, Test and myself are going to make an example out of Val Venis and Viscera.

Crowd Boos

Matt Striker: So for now on, I would start listening to your teacher. There is a new side of your teacher and he’s been revealed. Once you mess with me, you’ll pay and you’ll end up failing once again from both of us.

Crowd Boos

Matt Striker: Remember my name is Matt Striker….

Matt Striker: Your teacher!

We cut back to ringside to the announcer’s.

Jim Ross: Wow, certainly a different side of Matt Striker and he made it short and sweet to the point tonight getting it across.

Jerry Lawler: Striker has shown us all he can hang with the best and he will, he has another chance to show us later.

Joey Styles: I have to agree as Striker has been on his best this year and showing everyone why he certainly is your teacher.

Jim Ross: Well still to come tonight, we have a major tag team match as RVD and John Cena take on Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle

Jerry Lawler: That’s not all though as we get another WrestleMania rematch in Triple H taking on Shawn Michaels!

Joey Styles: Two great matches and they are still to come, tune in to see what is going to happen in both of these matches tonight.

---Commercial---

Match #3
Matt Striker and Test vs. Val Venis and Viscera

Match Overview: Nothing major again, just a squash match to put over Matt Striker and Test as a team in their first tag match. Striker and Test choose on the obvious one, Val Venis to work on and wear down during the match. Viscera seems to be stranded in the corner, rarely having come in the match up the whole time. Striker beats down on Venis and kicks him before tagging in Test. Test takes down Venis with numerous clotheslines and continues to beat him down. Test then runs at Venis with a Big Boot but Venis ducks and tags in Viscera. Viscera goes to work on Test beating him down but gets stopped by Striker. Striker kicks Viscera in the gut, which Test comes charging at Viscera! Big Boot! Test then tags in Striker and Striker takes advantage of the pin, the referee begins the count, One…Two…Three

Winners: Matt Striker and Test

We cut backstage to see Chris Masters standing by Maria

Maria: Chris, last week during your match with Shelton Benjamin, Carlito attacked you. Do you know why he attacked you?

Chris Masters: Watch it Maria. I’m the Masterpiece and last week I was robbed of becoming a two-time Intercontinental Champion. Carlito thinks he’s “cool” running around and costing me matches, well it’s not “cool”

Maria: Chris, you competed at WrestleMania against Carlito and certainly took a beating, how bad do you want Carlito?

Chris Masters: What’s with all of these ignorant questions? Carlito can run if he wants but next week he is going to be in the MasterLock Challenge. The return of perhaps one of the most memorable segments on Raw!

Maria: Ok and one more thing Chris, you two are former buddies, whatever happened to the friendship.

Chris Masters: Please, just stop Maria! Carlito ruined our friendship whenever he made me lose not only the Intercontinental Championship but also the Money in the Bank briefcase. And because of what he did, it’s time for someone to be put in the Masterlock!

We then cut back down to ringside

Jim Ross: Wow, an intense side from the Masterpiece tonight and he is not in the best of moods with everything going on.

Jerry Lawler: I wouldn’t be either JR. Carlito cost him not only his Intercontinental title but the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Joey Styles: This rivalry is not only about that though; it’s being dealt over a former friendship now between those two.

Jim Ross: Either way, a huge match has been added for next week, as we will witness the return of the Masterlock Challenge.

Jerry Lawler: It’s been a little while since we’ve seen the Masterlock Challenge but now we can see it once more.

Joey Styles: Carlito could become the first one to break the Masterlock but we’ll have to wait until next week to find out.

---Commercial---

We cut backstage to see The Spirit Squad with Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho: What the hell is up with last week? I was supposed to be the one that pinned Cena but yet Johnny did!

Johnny: Sorry Chris, I fell back, it was too late.

Chris Jericho: You better be sorry because I’ve still haven’t beaten Cena by pinning him or making him tap out and tonight it will change.

Mikey: Chris don’t worry, we…

Chris Jericho: There is nothing to worry about because John Cena is going to be getting a beating he will never…ever forget not only tonight but in his hometown.

The Spirit Squad: Huh?

Chris Jericho: Backlash is in Boston and well, I was talking to Vince and he gave me a match with Cena at Backlash. So now I can embarrass Cena in his own hometown and finally gain a win over the “Doctor of Thuganomics”

Kenny: Chris, we know you well and we know Cena stands no chance come Backlash, plus we’ll be helping you out there too.

Chris Jericho: Actually….you won’t.

The Spirit Squad: Why?

Chris Jericho: Vince did give me a match at Backlash against Cena but he doesn’t want any interference so he made it a Steel Cage Match. But it’s fine, now Cena can have a beating he will never…ever forget inside of a steel cage!

Chris Jericho: Thanks guys but I’ve got to get ready for tonight, I’ve got Cena and that assclown Rob Van Dam to take on. But hey, we’ll talk next week because…well we might just need to start wearing down Cena if you know what I mean.

Jerry Lawler: Jericho might actually be able to beat Cena now but we’re going to have to wait and see come Backlash.

Joey Styles: The odds could be in Cena’s favor being in his hometown and all but nothing can be certain when the cage comes into play.

Jim Ross: Backlash is shaping up to be great so far as three matches have been signed including the Steel Cage Match.

Jerry Lawler: Also announced earlier tonight, a Handicap Match for the Women’s title as Mickie James defends against Trish and Ashley.

Joey Styles: And the main event, the WrestleMania rematch as Rob Van Dam defends the WWE title against Kurt Angle!

Match #4
Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Conway

Match Overview: Another non-title match this week as Shelton Benjamin takes on the “Con-Man” Rob Conway. Benjamin leads Conway to a good match with Conway sporting a chance to get back into it for the win and a possible future title match. Conway tries for the Ego Trip but gets pushed off by the Intercontinental Champion, Benjamin. Benjamin then trips up Conway sending him straight into the turnbuckle hard. Benjamin comes charging at Conway and delivers a Stinger Splash. Benjamin then scoops up Conway as he comes out of the corner. Benjamin, the Intercontinental Champion then grabs Conway and scoops him up. T-Bone Suplex and it’s all over for Conway. Benjamin calls for the referee to cover but out of nowhere, Gregory Helms slides into the ring and takes down Benjamin with a Shining Wizard! The referee calls for the bell and Benjamin has gained the win via DQ.

Winner via DQ: Shelton Benjamin

Helms continues to beatdown on Benjamin but Benjamin knocks Helms out of the ring before any further damage can be done to the champion. Helms makes his way up the ramp motioning around his waist saying he will be the next champion. Benjamin grabs his title and raises his title high taunting Helms and we head to a commercial

---Commercial---

We then cut out to a screen and see a promo start airing for the next WWE PPV, Backlash

Narrator: Coming off the heels of WrestleMania, the superstars of Raw look to engage in a battle like one never seen before.

Images of Kurt Angle delivering multiple German Suplexes, Belly to Belly Suplexes, and locking in the Ankle Lock on numerous opponents

Narrator: These men head into Boston for one reason….revenge!

Images of Triple H nailing the Running Knee, Spinebuster, and finally the Pedigree to many opponents

Narrator: A Pay Per View that’s been going for eight years, moments have been made but this year, many more will be.

Images of John Cena doing his key moves in the Five Knuckle Shuffle, Pumping It Up, and then finally delivering his finisher, the F-U

Narrator: For these men have waited long enough, now is their chance to prove what they have in front of the world

Images of Shelton Benjamin delivering the Stinger Splash, and his finisher, the T-Bone Suplex plus many more athletic moves

Narrator: For all of these men have declared war on each other, now it’s time to see who will rise and who will fall!

Images of Shawn Michaels doing the Diving Elbow, nipping up, and delivering the Sweet Chin Music to other opponent’s

Narrator: WWE and Raw present Backlash live Sunday April 30, 2006 from the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts!

We then cut backstage to see Triple H standing by with the McMahon’s.

Mr. McMahon: Listen up, Hunter you need to take out Michaels tonight. Once we get rid of Michaels, then Austin will be the only one left. One down, one to go and well, let’s just say you might have a future title shot.

Triple H: No problem Vince, Austin won’t be there and well, I shouldn’t have any problem taking out Shawn for you. Shawn’s just going to have to take another beating tonight courtesy of the Game, Triple H!!!

Mr. McMahon: I like that Hunter. Now Shane, you know your role out there right? We’re not going to say it now but you know?

Shane McMahon: Of course dad! I’ve been waiting all night and I’m ready to make sure that Michaels is gone from Raw.

Mr. McMahon: That’s the spirit, ok guys, are you ready?

Triple H: One more thing Vince. I was wondering if well….

Triple H pulls out his trusty sledgehammer. He lifts it up and rubs it while Vince seems to be smiling in the corner at the sledgehammer.

Triple H: Well, if I could bring my friend out there tonight?

Mr. McMahon: No problem Hunter. Feel free to use him tonight too, it is just going to be one step closer to getting rid of HBK.

Mr. McMahon: Ok so are we ready?

Shane McMahon: I believe we are dad an…

Mr. McMahon: Remember this, Shawn Michaels has NO CHANCE IN HELL!!!

We then head out and see the McMahon’s and Triple H making their way down to the ring before the commercial. Triple H is carrying his sledgehammer down to the ring with him as they are almost into the arena. The fans see the McMahon’s and Triple H coming almost into the arena and are booing the hell out of them. Mr. McMahon smiles and they continue on making their way to the arena as we head out to a commercial.

---Commercial---

Jim Ross: Welcome back to Raw and coming up right now is the WrestleMania rematch between Shawn Michaels and Triple H!

Jerry Lawler: A huge matchup I’ve been waiting for all night, it’s going to end up being an all-out brawl between these two.

Joey Styles: It certainly will be King, two superstars that have hated each other for so long and it will continue here tonight.

Jim Ross: Plus we’ve got another main event coming up later tonight as RVD and John Cena team to take on Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho.

Jerry Lawler: Another huge main event there but I don’t think the intensity of that one can compare to it as much as this match.

Joey Styles: Certainly can’t King and that’s been proven in the past but tonight, we’re going to witness HBK vs. HHH again!

Match #5
Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H

Match Overview: In their WrestleMania rematch, it certainly turns out to be just like their match they had at WrestleMania a little more than a week ago. Both men show why they are the best in this company and why they are former World champions. The McMahon’s play an important role in this matchup with Vince and Shane interfering numerous times without the referee seeing. Also to mention, Stone Cold Steve Austin was banned from ringside and if he came down, he would be fired right there on the spot. Michaels and HHH continue their clinic in the ring with Triple H starting to wear down Michaels. He takes down the Heart Break Kid with a Running Knee. Triple H taunts to the fans boos and then looks over at the McMahon’s. He tells them to toss in the sledgehammer as it could come into effect now. Triple H grabs the sledgehammer and the referee pulls it away before it can be used. Triple H looks angered and doesn’t want to take this from the referee right now as he wants to end the matchup. Michaels then catches Triple H as he turns around with a Atomic Drop sending Triple H down onto the mat. Michaels climbs onto the top rope and delivers with the Flying Elbow! Michaels is down for a few seconds before he nips up. HBK heads into the corner playing to the crowd and tunes up the band. The fans are yelling but Vince grabs the foot of HBK holding him in the corner. Shane McMahon runs up the ramp and hollers and down comes…Kane! Kane comes rambling out of the backstage area and comes climbing into the ring. The referee is over by Triple H and Triple H pulls himself up on the ref. Triple H low blows the ref before Kane gets into the ring. Kane grabs Michaels out of the corner and delivers with a thunderous Chokeslam! Triple H then crawls over and goes for the cover. Kane slides out and Mr. McMahon slides in and grabs the ref’s hand and slaps it on the mat, One…Two…Three!!!

Winner: Triple H

Shane McMahon then grabs a mic and hands it over to Mr. McMahon in the ring.

Mr. McMahon: What you all just witnessed is just a preview for not only next week here on Raw but at Backlash!

Crowd Boos

Mr. McMahon: And next week, Shawn Michaels is going to meet his match whenever he steps into the ring with Kane!

Crowd Boos

Mr. McMahon: But at Backlash, we’re going to be having ourselves a little tag team matchup as Triple H and Kane will team together. And their opponents are going to be Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin

Crowd Pops

Mr. McMahon: And we’re going to need someone…wait a Special Referee for this matchup. Well, I’m thinking about it and right now, your special referee is going to be none other than the man you are looking at right now…Vincent Kennedy McMahon!!!

Crowd Boos

Mr. McMahon: But what about Shane? Well Shane will certainly be involved in this matchup too, we don’t want anything going wrong. Shane is going to be, well you could call him the Special Enforcer because he will make sure that not only Shawn Michaels but certainly Stone Cold Steve Austin are enforcing the rules on the outside.

Crowd Boos

Mr. McMahon: So the end is nearing for Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin, it’s going to be 4 on 2 at Backlash. You’ve got Triple H and Kane. Shane as the Special Enforcer on the outside and myself as the Special Referee. And oh yeah, remember this Shawn and Stone Cold, you’ll wish you never crossed the boss!

---Commercial---

We cut backstage to see Todd Grisham with Kurt Angle

Todd Grisham: Kurt, in just a matter of moments, you are go…

Kurt Angle: Hold it there Todd. Everyone knows I’m teaming with Chris Jericho tonight and everyone knows that we’re facing John Cena and Rob Van Dam. I’ve beaten down Cena before and my Hell in a Cell match proves that. And RVD, well he’s going to be just another one-month reign champion like many others.

Todd Grisham: Kurt, in three weeks, you’ll be in your WrestleMania rematch at Backlash against Rob Van Dam, are you ready?

Kurt Angle: My name is Kurt Angle, I was born ready! I’m a five time WWE Champion, soon to be a six time WWE Champion. I’ve beaten every obstacle that has ever been thrown at me and tonight will be yet another one. It’s just yet another chance to break someone else’s damn ankle to me whenever I’m out there.

Todd Grisham: Ok and finally Kurt, we’ve heard that y…

Kurt Angle: Just stop it Todd. You’re basically disrespecting a Olympic Gold Medalist like me with all of these questions. I’m done with all of these questions, I’ve got a match! A chance to show Rob Van Dam that he’ll be lucky if he makes it to Backlash. A chance to prove why they all call me the Wrestling Machine!!!

Match #6
Rob Van Dam and John Cena vs. Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho

Match Overview: And it’s time for the main event with so much being on the line tonight as all four men have current problems with one across the ring. We don’t get RVD vs. Angle too much to spoil the action for Backlash but a little bit more Cena and Jericho. Though Cena and Jericho do fight a lot during the match, it doesn’t seem to be too much at all. It seems to be more Cena vs. Angle during the matchup with Angle dominating Cena wearing him down. Cena does make the tag into RVD but Angle quickly tags out to Jericho not wanting to do anything with Angle tonight, despite his comments earlier on about him. Towards the end of the matchup, Jericho catches RVD as RVD sprung off the ropes with a Springboard Moonsault and Jericho is able to nail a Powerslam sending RVD down onto the mat. Jericho looks at RVD and runs before jumping off the top ropes going for a Lionsault but RVD gets his knees up, Jericho connects with the knees hard and now Jericho could very well be out of it. RVD leaps over and tags in Cena. Cena comes in and knocks down Jericho with a thunderous clothesline. Cena grabs Jericho and runs at him nailing the Throwback and Cena is starting to feel it. He then bends down into the face of Jericho and says “You Can’t See Me” before coming off the ropes, then coming back for the 5-Knuckle Shuffle! Cena then bends down and pumps it up before motioning to the crowd. Cena then grabs Jericho and lifts him up for the F-U but Jericho is able to take the momentum and bring him into the corner and Angle blind tags. Jericho has no clue what is going on and Angle slides in and connects with an Angle Slam! Jericho goes to pin Cena thinking he is the legal man but Angle is on Cena, One…Two…Three!!!

Winners: Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho

Jim Ross: Chris Jericho can’t buy a victory over John Cena, no matter what it takes he has yet to pin Cena to this day.

Jerry Lawler: He’s tried everything from You’re Fired Matches, to 6 on 1 Handicap Matches and yet he has yet to win.

Joey Styles: But he has a chance to redeem himself come Backlash, whenever Cena and Jericho meet inside of a Steel Cage

Jim Ross: And not only is it a Steel Cage Match but we’re going to be seeing the match take place right in John Cena’s hometown.

Jerry Lawler: Jericho might be able to redeem himself then, we’ll just have to wait and see what will happen then won’t we?

Joey Styles: We sure will King and for myself, I’m Joey Styles. And these two are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, good night everybody!

Great opening promo with Austin and Vince. It somewhat reminded me of the opening promos back in the Attitude Era, thanks for that . Shane goes coast to coast on Austin! I can see Austin getting his revenge later on in the evening. Decent women's match, interesting idea with Ashley and Trish getting the victory. A nice triple threat could come out of this, which could be good. Hmm, I smell a swerve coming, possibly an Ashley heel turn. I could be wrong, but I could be right too =). Decent match with Eugene getting the victory, I could see a filler feud out of this. Ok tag match, used to put over Striker and Test as a tag team. Nothing special. Good Masters promo, short, sweet and to the point. Nice Jericho/Squad promo, Jericho was very much in character which is good. A Benjamin/Helms feud could be great if booked well IMO, I'm looking forward to this. Great match with HHH and Michaels, Kane is on the McMahon's side, I can see a rebirth of the Corporation here somehow, maybe not but whatever. Great tag match, interesting choice to see the heels go over, but it was a great match none the less. Nice Raw KOP, keep up the work and Backlash is looking good so far.

"I wrestled that match with Undertaker at WrestleMania with the biggest f*cking chip on my shoulder because I knew it was going to be better than Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H and The Rock vs. John Cena."

Vince opens the show, and it looks like the punishment for HBK and Austin is going to carry on for a little bit longer, which is the last thing that they need. Strong promo here, even though it was kind of the stuff we have heard before. Shane takes on Austin, and the McMahons have the advantage

Trish and Ashley are both the number 1 contenders, and that is a nice little twist to put on the women’s title match for Backlash. Solid promo between them afterwards, and why do I get the feeling that Ashley is going to turn on Trish???

Eugene beats Jamal, and now I guess the Freaks are the number 1 contenders to the tag titles, as I can’t see what else will happening. That will be a nice little undercard match for the ppv

Another great promo from Striker, and he is becoming a favourite of mine in this thread

Striker and Test pick up the win, and they cant be too far away from becoming tag champs, or getting Test involved in the IC title division

Masters/Carlito feud moves on a bit with a brief promo from masters, and I suppose everything cant have a lot of build up each week. I think this will get some more hype next week though

Loving the cage match for Backlash, and this should be the end of the Cena/Jericho rivalry. Jericho won’t pin Cena before then, and I get the feeling he may not win the cage match, but he has to somehow get a win over Cena to end the feud. Very similar to the Rey/Eddie feud last year, which ended with a win in a cage match….

Shelton vs. Helms for the IC title at Backlash then? Could happen, and would be a good opener to the show if it did

HHH gets his win back over HBK, although with all the odds stacked against him it was bound to happen I think. Looks like Kane has been recruited by Vince as well, and now the odds are stacked even more against HBK and Austin. Tag match at Backlash will be a good one, and a solid match to have on the show, and of course, Vince has to be the referee

Solid Angle promo, which gives him feud with RVD some more hype

Angle picks up a huge win over Cena, and he now has some momentum going into his title match. RVD’s role on the show was a little subdued tonight, so he needs to have a big show next week I think. Jericho still cant get his win over Cena